


Spellcaster

by orphan_account



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Gen, Magic, Maybe the start of something?, we'll see
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-05
Updated: 2014-10-05
Packaged: 2018-02-19 23:13:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2406434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He'd cast spells twice before. So why couldn't he do it now?</p>
<p>The omniscient triangle may have an answer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spellcaster

_"Florem crescunt."_

The wind made Dipper shiver. He wished he'd brought a jacket now. Maybe it had been foolish, leaving with only his vest to keep him warm. But then, he hadn't expected to stay out so long.

His only light came from a small crystal, reflecting the shine of the moon around the clearing. It bathed him in a silver glow and cast shadows against the trees. But he didn't pay attention to that. His eyes were fixed on a small sprout. It's leaves were still curled in, the petals enclosed within a green bud. It would be a while yet before it bloomed. Unless he could get this right. 

_"Invocem quam vires naturae,"_ he whispered, _"Ego præcipio tibi, ut crescat."_ He could feel it, a searing heat beneath his skin that pooled from his chest out through his veins. But it was subdued, almost fuzzy, and Dipper was ready to scream. He knew what it was supposed to feel like. Twice now he'd cast a spell, had entered his uncle's mind and raised the dead. Then it had been all-encompassing, to the point where he nearly thought his soul was leaving his body (after the puppet escapade, he'd realized it had been an accurate description).

He'd entered the dreamscape. He had summoned a hoard of zombies. So why-- _"Florem crescunt!"_ \--couldn't he make a tiny flower bloom? 

The warmth flooded out of him, leaving a sensation of sheer unfulfillment within him. He glared at the pages of the journal, moving the crystal closer to direct its light on the pages. He'd gotten the words exactly right. Was it his pronunciation? The last few times, he'd gotten it without a hitch. In the heat of the moment, the words left Dipper's lips like he'd always known them. 

He stifled a shout. "What am I doing wrong?" He hissed. "Why can't I get this _right!"_ He hurled the crystal to the ground. It rolled into a shadow and darkness swept across the clearing.

"Oh man." Dipper squinted, practically blind in the darkness. He got to his feet to shuffle slowly forward. His fingers combed through the grass, searching desperately until they closed around something cool and sharp. He jumped back with his prize in hand. The instant he fell into the moonlight, the gem lit up again. Rather than the silver tint from before, the forest seemed to have had its color leeched out. Almost black and white.

His heart stuttered. He clutched the journal to his chest, backing right into another form. A scream tore from him as Dipper spun around, staring right up into a single glowing eye. 

"Evening, Pine Tree." The pyramid gave a small laugh. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Dipper tried to run. His foot caught, sending him spilling to the ground. Without him noticing, vines had curled around his ankles. The journal landed a few feet away, just out of his reach. A shoe came down on his outstretched hand. To his relief, it didn't hurt, merely keeping his fingers trapped. 

Bill's voice echoed above him. "I see you're experimenting with magic. Normally I'd warn you about the dangers of sorcery--or whatever it's called these days--but hello? Dangerous? I say go for it kid!" There was a small laugh. "Though it looks like you're having  
some trouble."

"What's it to you?" Dipper spat. He blinked and was on his back, staring up into the demon's eye. The foot was gone, replaced with a hand gripping his wrist. Bill was kneeling over him. If he had a mouth, he would be smirking. When he'd gotten his breath back, he breathed, "You look different."

Bill seemed pleased. "You like it? I made it myself. Just took a small spell and I had a body!" The statement was debatable. It was true, beneath the floating pyramid that acted as a head was a tailcoat suit. He couldn't see any actual body within the clothes, but the grip on his wrist was real enough. 

The hand released and Dipper was being pulled to his feet. He tried to glare, the effect ruined by the slight tremor in his form. "What do you want this time?" A flash of panic hit him as he realized the journal was still on the ground, where Bill could grab it in an instant. The demon seemed to follow his train of thought, striding forward to scoop up the book. His eye narrowed, placing a gloved hand within the outline on the front cover. Dipper felt a chill at the familiar gesture, one he himself had repeated many times.

The Bill straightened up, seeming to shrug off whatever he'd been thinking about. "I don't want anything from you, Pine Tree. I want to help!"

The boy scoffed. "You, help someone?"

"Sure! That's my job, isn't it? Of course, normally I get something in return…" The eye glowed a dim blue. "But this time it's totally free! Call it a favor from a friend, alright?" 

"Last time I trusted you my soul was torn out of my body." He scratched at his arm. " _And_ I had several forks stabbed into my skin."

Bill slumped. "Come on," he wheedled, "I was just having a bit of fun. Like right now! It's not like I'm making a deal, right?"

Dipper hesitated, then shook his head. He wasn't about to fall for this again. "No way. You only do something if there's something to gain. Like make me blow myself up or… or summon flying monkeys to terrorize the town!" 

"Good idea!" He blanched, only to sigh in relief as the pyramid continued, "But not right now. Look, you've cast spells twice, right?" Bill gave him an expectant look, and he reluctantly nodded. "So what was the common factor between those two times?"

Dipper's brow furrowed. "But they don't have anything in common. One was to get into Grunkle Stan's mind, the other raised the dead. What--"

"Not the spells, Pine Tree. The situation." 

That voice had once mocked him, had needled him into a foolish deal, had been distorted with rage as he tried to curse him with nightmares. Now it was soft, encouraging, and Dipper found himself saying, "I… I was desperate. I felt like I _had_ to get it right." He looked to Bill, who motioned for him to go on. "So it's emotional? I have to… feel like I _need_ to cast the spell."

"Bingo! Though it's not always a life-or-death kind of thing, or whatever was going on through your head. It's not a matter of convincing yourself. You have to convince the magic. Make it listen, make it understand it has to obey you." 

Dipper bounced on his heels, mind racing. "So I just… oh man, it's so simple! Give me that!" He tugged Bill's arm down so he could flip through the pages. It landed on the right one. A sketch of a flower in bloom took up half the paper, Latin words scrawled underneath. He relinquished the book and glanced back at the flower, jaw set in concentration.

_"Florem crescunt."_ The warmth flickered to life, pulsing with his heartbeat. It flared up, blazing through his blood. _"Invocem quam vires naturae; ego præcipio tibi, ut crescat. Florem crescunt. Florem crescunt, florem crescunt!"_

As he watched, the sprout began to stretch. The leaves unfurled, bud curling open to let out small, yellow petals. It was tiny, but he'd done it. 

A laugh bubbled up. "I did it," he murmured. Dipper grinned, shouting, "I did it!" 

He spun around to face Bill, but the demon had vanished. The journal laid on the grass, untouched.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Thanks for reading. I'm hoping this will be the start of something a bit longer and a bit better. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this story.
> 
> The incantations are derived from Google Translate Latin. In other words, it's probably very inaccurate and I apologize for that.


End file.
